charlevoix, michigan national register of historic places ......business directory - with only three...

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5-31-2012)

United States Department of the Interior Put Here National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8

Boyne City Central Historic District Name of Property

Charlevoix, Michigan County and State Name of multiple listing (if applicable)

SIGNIFICANCE Summary Paragraph Boyne City retains a distinct central business district and residential neighborhood that display genuine historic and architectural appeal. The Boyne City Central Historic District contains the historic central business district and an adjacent block that was home to many of the city’s economic elite during the late nineteenth through early twentieth centuries. The district meets national register criterion A in several ways. The downtown's commercial buildings, dating from the 1880s to the early 1960s, reflect the history of the area as the city's commercial hub. More particularly, they reflect the evolution of the community as it grew rapidly during economic boom times between 1890 and 1910 and then witnessed an equally dramatic decline between 1910 and 1930. The downtown possesses historical importance as the site that grew up adjacent to and as a direct result of the economic stimulus provided by the mill complexes of W.H. White and others, as well as the Boyne City Railroad shops that were located along the shore of Pine Lake (today known as Lake Charlevoix). Although the mills and industrial buildings are no longer extent, three central city structures survive to represent these key components of the city's economic life. The Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad Co. General Offices at 112 South Park Street not only served as the headquarters for the railroad that stimulated the city’s industrial growth, but also appears to be the only surviving building from the former W.H. White Mill #1 complex, having been moved after a fire destroyed that mill in 1918. The Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad freight depot at 151 Ray Street is the other surviving structure representing the town’s railroad history. The W.H. White House at 417 Boyne Avenue was home to the key individual behind Boyne City’s boom in the decades around 1900, founder of multiple mill complexes and the BC, G&A railroad and promoter who convinced other industrialists to relocate or establish large complexes in the city. These buildings all materially represent the establishment and definition of the city’s economic growth and development and contribute strongly to the district's significance under criterion A. The district is also important under criterion A relating to Community Planning and Development because its physical structure and layout reflects the history of the city. These blocks are unusual in the predominant U-shape, where two primary east-west commercial streets parallel each other (Water and Main) perpendicular to the other primary thoroughfare (Lake), separated by a sparsely developed zone. This relates directly to the early presence of the lakeside mills to the west that spurred the city’s commercial expansion, initially adjacent to the mill and lake and then rapidly extending inland. Away from the lake, the pace and placement of construction and development was determined both economically and physically by the BC, G&A Railroad that bisected and ran through the commercial blocks. The associated proliferation in building stock materially reflects the boom and bust cycle associated with Boyne City’s early history. The district is also important under criterion A in relation to Social History and Recreation, best represented by the early 1900s Bellamy Opera House that provided live and then motion picture entertainment for nearly a century, and the Princess Theater at 116 South Lake Street, that continued to serve recreational needs as the Princess Ball Room. There is also the Odd Fellows Hall at 214 East Water Street, which housed fraternal organizations for decades and whose large upstairs hall provided the community with vaudeville, boxing, and acts such as Harry Houdini. Finally, there is the Wolverine/Dilworth Hotel, established by a committee of the city’s economic elite in 1912 to serve the city and provide up-to-date accommodations that would provide a favorable impression of the city to visitors, and served as the city’s leading hotel for over half a century. The district is also significant under criterion B, because of its association with significant persons: the Pearl Street residential neighborhood was home to A.J. Beardsley, the city’s first and leading merchant from the family that platted the city, and W.H. White, the leading industrialist and promoter of the city and the Wolverine Hotel, which was the material representation of the vision and drive of White and Boyne City’s commercial and industrial elite, who formed the Boyne City Hotel Co. shareholders and directors. The district also possesses significance under criterion C, Architecture, for its concentration of brick commercial





buildings from the city’s boom period that exemplify typical Midwest and American commercial architecture of the early 1900s; for its residential dwellings that represent the types and styles commonly constructed across Michigan in the early twentieth century; and individual buildings such as the Georgian Revival U.S. Post Office at 300 East Water Street, the Neoclassical I.O.O.F. Hall at 200 East Water Street that is also notable as an early example of poured concrete construction, substantial dwellings such as those at 401 East Water Street, 417 Boyne Avenue and 411 Pearl Street that are primarily Queen Anne-influenced, and even the roadside architecture represented by the ca. 1930s Chamber of Commerce log cabin at 28 South Lake Street. General Historical Context The vicinity of the confluence of the Boyne River with Pine Lake, now Lake Charlevoix, has been the heart of Boyne City since the arrival of the first permanent settlers, John and Harriet Miller, in 1856. The lakeshore would soon attract settlers and entrepreneurs with vision, and the river’s banks were a natural extension of this promise and potential. Although the city would experience boom and bust, the lake and river have always anchored its identity, provided it with a special sense of place, served as a commercial and recreational corridor, and ensured it would have a future. Although there was enough activity for John Miller to open a post office in his house in 1869, the first attempt at promoting development in 1871, when Esterly & Co. purchased a tract of land at the mouth of Boyne River intending to plat a town, was unsuccessful. Growing slowly, the settlement of Boyne consisted of little more than a scatter of rough frame buildings until 1874, when A. J. Hall constructed a large frame hotel, the Pine Lake House, at North Lake and River Streets, beyond the north edge of today’s historic district. The 1875 the Michigan State Gazetteer only briefly mentioned the village in a short paragraph, identifying it as “Boyne,” revealing it had a post office, and merely stating it was situated in good farming country (Polk 1875: 38, 150). However, that same year A.J. Beardsley arrived at the small settlement with a small stock of dry goods and went into business in the Pine Lake House. His brother, George Beardsley, was impressed enough with the location that he acquired 97 acres in the vicinity, and in 1876 platted 15 acres (recorded in 1877) as the original “Boyne Village Plat.” It extended from the lakeshore eastward across Lake and Park Streets to East Street and from North Street southward across the river to Water Street. These blocks included the northern portion of the historic district. Since that time, George Beardsley has been known as the “Father of Boyne City.” A.J. Beardsley set down roots in the new village, building a store, a house and a dock that same year. His daughter, Florence, was the first white child born in Boyne. Beardsley would prosper with the city, replace the original frame store with a fine brick business block at 17 Lake Street in 1885 and in 1898 build a large house at 401 East Water Street – both located within the historic district (although only the home survives today). The 1877 state gazetteer described the village as “a small place” settled in 1874, but for the first time provided a business directory - with only three entries – A.J. Beardsley general store, A.J. Hall hotel proprietor, and Hugh R. Miller general store (Polk 1877: 174). Obviously, Boyne City had not grown much by this time, but that would soon change. Although Boyne had always been accessible via Pine Lake, the lake was not navigable for large ships. John Miller used a small sailboat named the “Union Jack” to travel to Pine River (now Charlevoix) to pick up supplies, and sometimes transported passengers to Boyne City. However, the prospects for Boyne were radically improved when the federal government in 1877 commenced dredging of a canal that would connect the western end of Pine Lake with Lake Michigan, effectively linking all of the lake, including Boyne, to the Great Lakes and the cities around them. Although the first small steamboats had navigated the natural channel from Lake Michigan into Pine Lake in 1860s, real commerce was not feasible until the canal was completed in 1883.





The year after dredging began, in 1878, Nichols and Morgan laid out the plat of South Boyne (recorded 1879), which extended from the lake across Front and Lake Streets to Park Street from the north side of Main Street southward to Cedar Street, encompassing the southern and western blocks of the historic district. By 1879 enough settlers had arrived in the area that A.J. Beardsley faced competition from a number of stores, and the Pine Lake House had competition from two other hotels, including the White House, whose site was within the historic district. That same year the first school was held in a log cabin in the village. This was replaced by a frame building in 1879, and by 1883 a two-story brick school had been constructed, “by far the finest in Charlevoix County” (Page 1884: 208). Boyne City’s prospects were inexorably linked to the lumber industry, which was stimulated in Charlevoix County when the area’s first sawmill opened in East Jordan in 1879 (Powers 1912: 198). Boyne City’s first mill was in operation by 1880, and within a couple years the mills of the Sheboygan Manufacturing Co. and the Boyne City Mill Co. (Beardsley’s mill) were “important industries” (Page 1884: 208-210). While white pine fueled the lumber industry until the turn of the century, the “unlimited” supply played out and other woods, particularly hardwoods, were increasingly logged and milled. Pine production peaked about 1890, but had declined significantly a decade later, when other timber types were increasingly exploited. By the early 1880s, Boyne was connected by a regular stage to Boyne Falls, a large dock had been constructed, and the place was definitely progressing. A visitor noted that in a single year the village had grown from six families to “50 good buildings and a population of about 200” supporting several dry goods stores and a hardware and general store, two hotels with another (the United States Hotel) under construction, a livery, and a newspaper (Polk 1881; Page 1884: 208-209). Furthermore, “Boyne has a good grist mill, A.J. Beardsley is proprietor, who at present grinds out as many shingles as anything else” (Page 1884: 207-208). By 1882 circumstances in the settlement had improved enough to encourage social and business networking – the Boyne River Odd Fellows Lodge No. 367 was organized in Boyne City (Page 1884: 209), which, about a quarter century later, would construct a substantial lodge building on Water Street in the historic district. At this time a local newspaper reported that Boyne Falls and the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad (GR&I), the main north-south line on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, and two stage lines connected daily with two steamship lines (Page 1884: 209). This early growth of the city was linked to logging entrepreneurs, as was common at this time across northern Michigan, exploiting what was thought to be an almost inexhaustible supply of timber. Logging in the Boyne City area began to be conducted on a large scale. Among the early lumbermen was Robert E. Newville, who arrived in Boyne City in 1881. He most likely provided timber to Boyne City’s first major sawmill, established by the Sheboygan Manufacturing Co. along the lake southward from the end of Main Street (just west of the historic district). This mill was constructed between 1877 and 1881 (based on entries in the Michigan State Gazetteers) and was later known as the Sheboygan Chair Co. mill. Newville became partners with William White, who arrived in Boyne City in 1883 and operated a small sawmill and broom factory. After three years, White bought out Newville and in 1886 was the sole owner of Newville’s former businesses, which included a saw and planing mill; this was apparently the former Sheboygan mill property, which became the Wigle & White sawmill after its acquisition by William H. White and Soloman J. Wigle in 1886 (Powers 1912: 1228). To ensure continued growth and prosperity Boyne City required reliable transportation links. While the steamship connections through Pine Lake served the city’s industries well, city fathers looked longingly toward





Boyne Falls, just over 7 miles to the east, which had been reached by the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad in 1874. The lack of predictable transportation for logging and lumbering motivated W.H. White to conceive and establish the Boyne City & Southeastern Railroad in 1893, which was initially a logging railroad, but evolved into a general purpose line. This line would extend from the mills along the lake and traverse the historic district generally along Ray Street, reach the GR&I, and become a crucial transportation link for the city’s mills and industries. (The only two surviving buildings from this railroad are located within the historic district, as is the home of White, who would become Boyne City’s premier industrialist.) W.H. White, the man who would become Boyne City’s foremost industrialist and exert the greatest influence on its growth and development, arrived in Boyne City in 1883 with a stock of general store goods. He used the proceeds from their sale to begin a broom handle factory in 1883 that grew into a full-bore lumber business in 1886 when he acquired the Sheboygan Chair Co. mill. This mill, which became known as White Mill #1, was located along the lake primarily north of the river, but extended southward with storage areas and docks located at the northwest corner of the historic district, at the end of Water Street, including where Sunset Park is situated today. When White acquired this saw and planing mill and logging operations and timber lands in the vicinity of Boyne City, he organized the W.H. White Lumber Co., eventually bringing in his brothers James, Thomas, and George, to incorporate as W.H. White & Co. White shrewdly advanced his interests, framing them with those of Boyne City. When he proposed to add a hoop and stave factory to his mill in 1892, he requested ten years’ freedom from taxation in exchange for a guarantee of adding a minimum of 20 jobs. He had the full backing of the editor of the Boyne Citizen, who noted that other towns were offering similar bonuses to attract factories, and declared presciently, “If Boyne City is ever to amount to anything more than a country village, she must make a start before all the timber . . . is felled . . . which will not be long” (Boyne Citizen 1892). None of these complexes or buildings survives today. INDUSTRY W.H. White and Boom Times in Boyne City Boyne City was positioned to become an industrial boom town. W.H. White continued to promote and improve prospects for both his and Boyne City’s business and development through the Boyne City and Southeastern Railroad (which later became the Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad). Founded in 1893 and developing rapidly through the 1890s, this line served as both a logging railroad and to connect the city’s growing industrial enterprises with the main line of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad about 7 miles to the east at Boyne Falls. The following year White had organized the White Transportation Steamship Line to transport lumber from his mills through Pine Lake and the Great Lakes to markets beyond (its flagship, the Three Brothers, was named for White and his siblings), essentially completing an enterprise that was integrated from stump to market. In 1897 Godfrey Von Platen purchased acreage and built a mill along the lake near the corner of Lake and Vogel Streets, north of White’s Mill and about three blocks north of the historic district. Von Platen’s mill employed about 100 men (but was the first of the major Boyne City mills to close in 1916). None of these complexes or buildings survive today, with the exception of a former mill office that was moved to Park Street in the historic district and “repurposed” to serve as the general offices of the Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad. The city’s boom, however, was fueled primarily through the continued efforts and influence of W.H. White. Continuing the growth of his logging interests, in 1902 White and his brothers organized the Boyne City Lumber Co., bought 15,000 acres of hardwoods in northern Michigan and in 1903 opened a new mill on the site of the old Wigle & White mill with capacity of 20,000,000 feet (along the lake southward from Main Street just west of the





historic district). Within two years his mill employed 85 men with a total monthly wage of $5,000, while 250 men were in four large lumber camps earning $10,000 monthly; the annual output of the company was 25,000,000 feet of hardwood and hemlock lumber, 2,500,000 shingles, and 25,000 cedar ties (Boyne Citizen 1904: 3-11). By 1905 he was producing 30,000,000 feet of lumber, 25,000,000 shingles and 100,000 railroad ties, and by 1907 he was producing flooring, shingles and interior finish and had a hardwood veneering plant – sawmill capacity 100,000 feet hardwood, 130-150,000 feet hemlock every 10 hours, employing 130 men and 40 horses, also a hardwood flooring plant, a hemlock flooring plant employing 60, a saw and shingle mill, and a veneer plant employing 50 men (Boyne Citizen 1907: 10). White was so confident in the city and region’s economy that when Mill #1 burned to the ground in 1908, he rebuilt it. Furthermore, in 1905 he replaced the aging former Wigle & White mill he had owned for years with a state-of-the-art mill complex incorporated as the Boyne City Lumber Co. A biography of W.H. White written during this period read, “The many extensive industrial concerns with which he is identified have played an important part in furthering generic progress and prosperity in this section of the Wolverine state . . . He stands at the head of a half dozen large corporations most prominently concerned with lumbering and concomitant operations . . .: President of Boyne City Lumber Co. capitalized at $500,000, W.H. White Lumber Co. capitalized at twelve hundred thousand dollars, President of White Veneer Co. and several other industrial enterprises including Tillamook Yellow Fir Co. of Oregon and White Brothers Lumber Co. of Vancouver, as well as successful railroad builder (BC,G&A RR) and organized the First National Bank of Boyne City” (Powers 1912: 1226); White’s operations and those of his business associates influenced central Boyne City by spurring employment and population and economic growth that was materially reflected in the construction of business blocks and homes. This impact was enhanced by the proximity of these huge complexes to the historic district. As discussed earlier, White Mill #1 was located at the mouth of Boyne River and extended south into the historic district. (It burned in 1918 and the property today is owned by the city, primarily as parkland.) White Mill #2, or Shingle Mill #2 was located along the lake west of Front Street, next to the Boyne City Railroad shops, adjacent to the southwest corner of the historic district. (It closed during the 1920s and the site was redeveloped as a mixed use commercial and condominium property during the 1980s.) W.H. White & Co. Mill #3 was built in 1905 along the Boyne River and the railroad north of East Main Street at the east edge of town about five blocks east of the historic district; by 1919 it was in receivership to Michigan Trust Co. as the Boyne City Handle Factory, and when it ceased operations in the 1920s, it was dismantled and shipped to Sault Ste. Marie. The Boyne City Lumber Co. mill complex was situated along the lakeshore west of Front St. opposite the end of Pine St. (on the site of the former Wigle & White sawmill) south of the historic district. (It closed and was destroyed by fire during the 1920s, and the site is today occupied primarily by condominiums and private residences.) To encourage growth, White was a tireless booster of the city, and backed up his promotion with concrete action. In 1902 he was the primary backer of incorporation of the First National Bank of Boyne City, the successor to a state chartered bank where he had been president. White was also directly or indirectly involved in most of the other major industries that established themselves in Boyne City and formed the foundation of its growth. Among other positions he held were secretary of the Elm Cooperage Co. and first vice president of the Boyne City Chemical Co. The former complex was formed in 1902 to expand the use of White’s timber resources and employed 130 by 1907 to manufacture hoops, staves and head liners (Boyne Citizen 1907: 8), and was situated between the river and railroad north of Main Street, just east of the historic district. The latter company was located along Lake Street north of Von Platen’s Mill and the historic district. The company located in Boyne City





in 1902 to use waste products from the White and Von Platen mills, and had a capacity of 2,000,000 bushels of charcoal, 500,000 lbs acetate of lime and 600,000 gallons of wood alcohol (Morgridge 1983: 69), employing 100 men. It claimed to be largest plant of its kind in the U.S. and second largest in the world (BCRC 1965: 34) before it declined and ceased operations by the 1930s when its wood supply was exhausted. A common theme in this rapidly developing industrial environment at Boyne City was the synergy these companies provided. One example is the Boyne City Charcoal Iron Co., which located adjacent to Boyne City Chemical Co. west of Lake Street along the shoreline. Founded in 1904 as a manufacturer of pig iron, it changed its name to Lake Superior Iron & Chemical Co. in 1907, and by 1919 it had become the Charcoal Iron Co. of America. Its site offered the advantages of accessibility to iron ore arriving from Escanaba and abundant charcoal fuel provided by the neighboring chemical company. It employed 85 men within three years of opening, and employed 100 men at peak production before it closed in 1923 (Boyne Citizen 1907: 8; BCRC 1965: 34; Morgridge 1981: 72). The site was redeveloped in the 1980s into The Landings. W.H. White promoted Boyne City to fellow industrialists. He was a primary reason why W.S. Shaw established the Boyne City Tanning Co. here in 1901, situated on the lakeshore north of Division Street and west of Second Street, south of the historic district. Shaw purchased hemlock bark from White & Co., Boyne City Lumber Co, Von Platen, and others, consuming 10,000 cords of bark and employing over 100 men at the plant by 1906 (and planned to expand to 175 the following year (Boyne Citizen 1907: 5). The company received hides from Australia, Argentina, South Africa, and British Columbia, which it tanned and shipped to shoe manufacturing plants in Boston and other eastern cities (Bowen 1905: 736). The firm later became known as the Michigan Tanning and Extract Co.. When it was sold by Shaw to the Howe Leather Co. in 1938 it employed about 300 men, for many years it was Charlevoix County’s largest employer, and it was the last tannery operating in Michigan when it ceased operations in 1969 (BCRC 1965: 23, Boyne Press 1969; Baker Brothers 1940). The complex sat vacant until demolished and during the 1980s the 35-acre property with one mile of lakefront was developed into 102 lakefront condominiums and a 227 slip marina called the Harborage, while a swimming beach was donated to the city - Peninsula Beach (BACC 2006: 37). Luring Shaw to Boyne City produced additional dividends in 1902, when he established the Boyne City Brick Company to exploit clay deposits north and east of the village. It boasted a capacity of 30,000 bricks per day and employed 25 men soon after opening, expanding to 70,000 bricks within five years, and was in operation “year round with large work force” (Boyne Citizen 1904: 14). It also sold farm implements, machinery, flour, feed, hay, grain, lime, and cement from a store on West Main Street (in the historic district) (Boyne Citizen 1907: 6). Among the few buildings definitely identified as being constructed with brick produced by this company is the Wolverine Hotel, at 300 East Water Street in the historic district - another enterprise in which White was involved, serving as an officer in the company that erected the hotel in 1912. Perhaps White’s enterprise most directly responsible for putting Boyne City on the industrial map was the Boyne City Railroad. Constructed in 1893, this line allowed the city’s economic interests to fully realize their potential for growth and prosperity and helped usher in Boyne City’s boom period. The railroad proved to be a cornerstone upon which White and other Boyne City business interests could establish new ventures and expand existing ones. The rail line complemented Boyne City’s commercial shipping capability and firmly linked the city to state and national markets.





As noted earlier, Boyne City grew in tandem with the burgeoning industrial sector. US and state census figures indicate that population grew from just over 900 in 1900, fifteen years after the village was incorporated, to 2,493 in 1904, and to well over 5,000 in 1910, one of the fastest growing cities in the country. The quality of life improved for most city residents. The Bellamy Opera House was completed in 1903 on Lake Street in the historic district and quickly converted to showing 5-cent motion pictures, while the Boyne City Electric Co. was organized 1903 and began supplying the city in 1904, the same year that Michigan Bell Telephone set up an exchange. Boyne City attained city status in 1907. City parks were well frequented by residents, and included a band stand near the intersection of Water and Lake Streets, as well as the Public Dock, which extended from the end of Water Street into Pine Lake. It was during this period that the final plat involving the historic district was recorded – another development promoted by White. In 1902, “Wm. H. White & Co.’s Subdivision of Part of Lot No. 35 of Beardsley Second Addition to the Village” was recorded. It is situated between the river and Water Street, bisected by Pearl Street (named after his daughter), and creates 20 lots, including an outscaled Lot 1, where his own home was located. It would quickly fill up with the stylish residences of White’s family members and business associates. Elsewhere in town, the local Boyne Citizen newspaper noted with approval virtually every week the placing of “cement walks” by businesses in front of buildings. The 1903 state gazetteer described Boyne City as a village incorporated in 1885 with a population of 2500 that was located on “one of the most famous trout streams in North America” (Polk 1903: 347). It had a weekly newspaper, a bank, 5 saw mills, a shingle mill, chemical factory, a tannery and other industry, a fine high school and telephone connection. By 1907, the Michigan State Gazetteer notes the city is lighted by electricity, has an excellent system of water works, a splendid sewerage system, and was the location of two newspapers, 3 large saw mills, a shingle mill, hoop and stave factory, veneer plant, 2 potash works, chemical works, 2 planing mills, railroad car shops, an iron furnace, a tannery, a foundry and machine shop, a manufacturer of store fronts, 2 cigar factories, a brick yard and numerous smaller industries (Polk 1907: 470). By 1911 the state gazetteer states the city’s population reached 5,218 (US Census 1910), and apparently using information provided by city boosters, mentions the city had “handsome business blocks,” two newspapers and a hospital, some of “the largest lumber mills in the world,” a large veneer plant, planing mills, the “largest shingle plant in the state,” a shipping boxes and baskets plant, a flooring plant, a cooperage plant, machine shops, a charcoal plant, a brick and tile works, a blast furnace, a pickle station, a chemical factory, the “largest sole leather tannery in the entire United States,” rail car shops, a wooden ware works, and numerous other industries (Polk 1911: 364). Publications from the period proclaimed Boyne City counted among its industrial interests “some of the largest hard wood lumber mills in the world,” including a large veneer plant, planing mills, the largest shingle plant in the state, and manufactories for boxes and baskets, charcoal, brick and tile, chemicals, etc. (Bowen 1916: 144). Although city fathers remained optimistic, and progress was evident in things such as the award, in 1916, of the first contracts for paving Boyne City streets with concrete, few realized that Boyne City had reached a pinnacle from which it would begin a rapid descent. The production of the city’s sawmills and lumber-related concerns was slowing as the region’s vast timber resources became depleted. Boyne City’s Decline During the Early Twentieth Century Although Von Platen was the first industrialist to leave Boyne City in 1916, the city’s future was perhaps best symbolized by the fiery destruction of White Mill #1 in 1918. It was not rebuilt, although production was shifted to White Mill #3 for a final few years. This mill ceased operations in the 1920s and was dismantled and shipped





to Sault Ste. Marie. During the decade of the 1920s almost all the other industrial concerns in Boyne City would close, primarily as a result of the end of the lumber boom. The Boyne City Lumber Co., the Boyne City Chemical Plant, and the Boyne City Charcoal Iron Co. all closed between 1922 and 1923, and White Mill #2 also closed during the 1920s (Morgridge 1981: 62, 69, 72; BCRC 1965: 39). Of the city’s major industrial concerns, only the Michigan Tanning and Extract Co. continued in operation; it became the city’s largest employer. As production at the mills slowed, Boyne City fathers attempted to diversify the economy with new ventures. W.H. White, W.S. Shaw and W.L. Martin helped organize the Traction Engine Co. in 1918 to produce agricultural equipment in a plant at Front and West Main Streets, just outside the district, but the venture ceased production after only a few years. The Boyne City Silo Co. was organized and began production, but did not succeed. In 1919 hopes were raised when Boyne City was identified as the northwestern port of the Michigan Transit Co. with lake steamer routes, but this venture was also unsuccessful and ended in 1920. Another Boyne City anchor, the BCG&A, had finally been extended east all the way to Alpena in 1918, but its existence as Michigan’s only independent cross-state route was short-lived. As logging tracts petered out and related industry began to decline, the railroad suffered economic distress. In 1913 the line had been placed into receivership but it was able to remain in operation. Still, by 1915 White and family remained in control - the officers of the company included W.H. White, President and General Manager, Thomas White, Vice President and Assistant General Manager, and James A. White, Treasurer, who were also three of the six directors of the company (Moody 1915). Still, White and the railroad pressed on, and reached Alpena in 1918, the zenith of the company, when it ran 90 miles of track, had 13 locomotives, and rolling stock of 300 log cars, 12 passenger cars and even a gasoline interurban passenger car (Railroad Michigan 2012). However, neither passenger nor freight revenues were sufficient to cover expenses for Michigan’s only independent cross-state railroad due to lack of settlement in cut-over lands, increasing competition from the automobile, and the onset of the Great Depression. In 1935, the BCG&A again went bankrupt and, this time, the line was sold for scrap. The W.H. White Company was not able to pay taxes on their cut-over lands, or abandoned them, and thousands of acres reverted to the State of Michigan, much of which formed the basis for state forests in the region. After 1935, a small portion of the railroad survived as the Boyne City Railroad, a short freight service line connecting Boyne City 7.2 miles to the GR&I at Boyne Falls – a figurative and literal return to the company’s roots. This line lasted until 1976, when it was acquired from bankruptcy and resurrected as an excursion rail line, the Boyne Valley Railroad, which lasted an additional two years. After this line ceased operation in 1978, the railroad was formally abandoned in 1982. It is perhaps telling of the city’s reversing fortunes that its entry in the 1919 Michigan State Gazetteer used a booster-inflated population of 5,500 (neglecting to cite the US Census as in previous editions). The entry stated that Boyne had been incorporated as a city in 1907, and repeats the information from the 1911 edition, except that it notes the addition of a Carnegie Library. The 1924 federal census lists the population of Boyne City as 4,284. The 1925 state gazetteer proclaims a population of 5,000, repeating the 1919 entry except that it notes the presence of two motion picture theaters, and, perhaps significantly, for the first time alludes to a previously unheralded sector of the economy, stating, “The city has many attractions and is very popular as a summer resort” (Polk 1925: 292). By 1931 the city population is listed as 2,650 (US census), and the industrial entries have been reduced to a tannery and railroad car shops, while key commercial entries have been reduced to a single bank, a single motion picture theater, a single hotel, and a single newspaper (Polk 1931: 178).





Population fell in tandem from a booster-generated claim of nearly 6,000 after 1910 (BAAC 2006: 28) to an official level of 2,650 in the 1920 U.S. Census. As the city’s population stabilized around 3,000 from the 1930 through 1970 censuses, Boyne City continued its marketing efforts. The 1940 city directory proclaimed that Boyne City had led all cities north of Saginaw and Grand Rapids in manufacturing of timber products due to its advantageous shipping facilities, water and rail, and that “those great shipping advantages still remain,” including the Boyne City Railroad connection to the Pennsylvania Railroad (former GR&I) main line, as well as a belt line to serve manufacturing along two miles of lakeshore – with over three miles of deepwater dockage (Baker 1940: front piece). Today all of these rail lines have been removed. Virtually all traces of Boyne City’s industrial boom period no longer exist. One structure that served as an office for White Mill #1 was moved in 1918 to Park Street (112 South Park Street) near Ray Street, where it was “repurposed” to serve as general offices for the Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad. It, together with this railroad’s adjacent freight station at 151 Ray Street, are the best surviving examples of this context, and both are situated in the historic district. In addition, the parcel now known as Sunset Park at 2 South Lake Street lay within the southern portion of the huge W.H. White & Co. mill complex. The mill’s lumber docks extended into Pine Lake from near the end of Water Street. After the mill had burned in 1918 the docks were still in place and the location was identified as “City Dock” on city maps dating to ca. 1920, and as the city pier in 1929. Evidence of the former piers survives, with base members of the structure still visible in the lakebed from the park at the end of Water Street. Still, many buildings that are the product of and that are directly associated with the city’s economic heyday between 1910 and 1920 characterize the historic district. The numerous commercial blocks constructed around the turn of the century were possible only because of wages and salaries generated by the factories and mills. The fraternal organizations, perhaps best represented by the wonderful Odd Fellows Hall on East Water Street, were composed of men who earned their livelihoods from that industry and other family members. The finest hotel in the city, the Wolverine, not only was necessary to house visitors to the city largely generated by its businesses, it was the direct result of the efforts of the industrial oligarchy, which composed its board. Finally, the houses comprising the east end of the historic district along Pearl Street are situated on a plat recorded by the city’s primary industrial dynamo, W.H. White, and provided homes for White, his relations, and his business associates. TRANSPORTATION Steamship and Lake Transport Although Boyne had always been accessible via Pine Lake, it was not navigable for large ships and only small vessels plied the Pine Lake Waters between Charlevoix and Boyne City. Transport by larger vessels that included steamships was feasible after the federal government dredged a canal that would connect the western end of Pine Lake/Lake Charlevoix with Lake Michigan, effectively linking Boyne to the Great Lakes and beyond. Although the first small steamboats had navigated the natural channel from Lake Michigan into Pine Lake in 1860s, real commerce was not feasible until this canal was completed in 1883. By early 1880s stage lines to Boyne City connected daily with two steamship lines. Lake transportation did not really advance until 1894 when W.H. White founded the White Transportation Steamship Line, a lake steamer transport company that would carry lumber from his mills through the Great Lakes. White’s flagship, the Three Brothers, was named for White and his siblings. The company’s primary docks were along the lakeshore off the end of Water Street, at the edge of the historic district. For decades they served as a primary link through the





Great Lakes to Tonawanda, New York, where White & Co. had business interests, until the company ceased milling operations in Boyne City during the 1920s. As the mills reduced production, Boyne City hoped lake transport would serve as an economic stimulus. In 1919 hopes were raised when Boyne City was identified as the northwestern port of the Michigan Transit Co. with multiple lake steamer routes, but this venture ended in 1920. While the city piers have been removed from the end of Water Street, private marinas have been developed in recent decades and pleasure craft now traverse the waters formerly dominated by commercial shipping. Railroads Perhaps W.H. White’s enterprise most directly responsible for putting Boyne City on the industrial map was the Boyne City Railroad. This line allowed the city’s economic interests to fully realize their potential for growth and prosperity and helped usher in Boyne City’s boom period. The railroad proved to be a cornerstone upon which White and other Boyne City business interests could establish new ventures and expand existing ones. It enhanced Boyne City’s commercial shipping capability and provided passenger service, firmly linking industry and residents to state and national markets. This railroad traversed the historic district along the axis of Ray Street to the lakeshore where it merged into spurs running north and south to service the industries clustering along the lake. The rail line was a crucial transportation link for all the city’s industries from 1893, wheen the line to Boyne Falls opened, into the 1920s and beyond. The only two surviving buildings from this railroad - the best surviving examples of this context - are located within the historic district – a freight warehouse at 151 Ray Street and the company’s general offices, at 112 South Park Street. The passenger depot, which had been located at the corner of Ray and Park between the freight building and general offices, no longer exists. Neither do the railroad’s extensive repair shops, foundry and yards, which were located adjacent to the historic district, west of Lake Street and south of Water Street. Falling into disuse as the railroad fell into bankruptcy, for a short time during the 1970s housed the Boyne City Railroad Museum, before they were demolished in the 1980s to redevelop the property into a mixed use retail, condominium and marina. Highways and Automobiles Boyne City was connected from the late nineteenth century by early roads to what would become the primary north-south highways at Charlevoix and at Boyne Falls. Stages traveled these routes until the automobile began to make its presence felt in the early 1900s. Roads were unimproved, but construction and improvements were initiated after the State Highway Department was created in 1905 with a State Reward Law providing aid to counties and townships, which was enhanced by the 1913 State Trunkline Act that increased the aid for upgrading roads. Travelers maneuvered along a network of Auto Trails, including the Mackinac Trail that ran through Boyne Falls (roughly today’s US-131) and the West Michigan Pike, which ran through Charlevoix (today’s US-31) (Michigan Highways 2011a). To inject some logic into the expanding system as more motorists traveled across the state, in 1918 Michigan ceased authorization of named auto trails and instituted a systematic numbering of state trunk lines. The road leading to Boyne City from the east was initially numbered State Route M-57. The M-57 designation was originally used by 1919 in Charlevoix County from Boyne Falls at M-13 (now US 131) through Boyne City and





back to M-13 at Walloon Lake. That highway's number was changed to M-75 in 1926 (MSHD 1919, 1926), and by that time the road was completely hard-surfaced (Michigan Highways 2011b). Since that time, the highway has served as a loop off US 131, providing access to Boyne City. From Boyne Falls M-75 follows Boyne Avenue northwesterly towards the downtown. It crosses through the historic district by merging into East Water Street at the Pearl Street intersection and proceeding past the post office to turn north on East Street. This route therefore funneled travelers right into the business district. As the highways improved, greater numbers of travelers arrived in Boyne City by automobile and businesses developed to service this opportunity. City fathers encouraged these developments by ensuring that all city streets were paved by 1918 (Erber 1952: 25). Significant new buildings in the business district after 1920 are most commonly automobile and tourism service related. The automobile-related structures in the historic district include the building at 224 East Water Street, which has housed a Ford dealership since it was constructed in 1919. The building at 210 South Lake Street was constructed the same year to house a garage and Buick dealership, and continued to serve as a garage for nearly three-quarters of a century. Changes in the downtown streetscape resulted from the construction of several gasoline service stations along the major transit routes starting in the 1920s. These included 231 East Water Street - strategically located where M-75 turns north at the intersection with East Street – once Herb’s Super Service, a service station opened by 1929 and enlarged in 1936 to more efficiently service and sell vehicles, which eventually became a Chrysler automobile dealership. It survives in much altered condition as does 201 South Lake Street, Wm. E. Hinds Gas Station/“Si’s Friendly Station,” constructed during the 1930s, and later becoming “Howard’s Friendly Service”. Another renovated survivor was the home of a business whose advertizing appealed directly to the auto tourist, Bill & Bea’s Gasoline Service Station and Restaurant at 102 South Lake Street. Other service stations did not survive, including John Olsen’s “station by the lake,” built 1929 at 101 East Water Street, and 127 East Water Street, for many years the location of a service station, originally built during the 1920s for Rouse & Son Gasoline. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Boyne City had initially witnessed steady but unremarkable growth in the third quarter of nineteenth century – the 1877 Michigan State Gazetteer referred to Boyne City as “a small place” (Polk 1877). The year after dredging of the canal began that would connect Pine Lake to Lake Michigan, in 1878 Nichols and Morgan laid out the plat of South Boyne (recorded 1879), which extended from the lake along the north side of Main Street across Front and Lake Streets to Park Street and southward to Cedar Street, encompassing the southern and western blocks of the historic district. While stinging from the loss of its status as the county seat in the late 1890s, the city fathers, particularly W.H. White, continued to promote and develop the city and its industries. During these years, George Beardsley recorded two additional plats that include portions of the historic district. In 1888, “Beardsley’s First Addition to Boyne” platted the area east from the lake from Water Street southward to the south side of Ray Street and eastward to East Street (Ray Street is named for his son). In 1898, “Beardsley’s Second Addition to the Village” included the area east of East Street from south of Water Street northward to the river. Boyne City, as a result of its burgeoning industrial capacity, experienced an exceptional boom in the first decade of the twentieth century. The business district matured along Lake Street and expanded east away from the lake along Water Street and Main Street, with the railroad line between them. Eventually the core business district





was established in the three blocks southward from the river through Main Street and the two blocks eastward from the industrial complexes (west of Lake Street) to East Street. While Boyne Avenue extending southeast from Water Street became a primary artery in and out of town, Main Street also developed in relation to the establishment of White Mill #3 in 1905 at the east edge of town several blocks east of the business district. Such a torrid growth was not sustainable, and momentum began to slow during the 1910s. Perhaps the last hurrah of Boyne City’s economic boom was best symbolized materially in the construction of the Wolverine Hotel in 1912, a “first-class” hostelry that was the brainchild of the city’s economic elite. Actual decline began in the latter half of this decade when one of the city’s large operations, the Von Platen mill, departed in 1916, following the receding lumber resources westward and focusing on a new mill in Iron Mountain, Michigan. The momentum of decline then accelerated, dramatically symbolized by the fiery conflagration in 1918 that destroyed another industrial anchor, White Mill #1. Unlike a decade earlier when the mill was rebuilt after an earlier fire, this time the mill was not rebuilt. The broad effects of this economic roller coaster described above are revealed by Boyne City’s population statistics presented in Table 1 (US Census; Michigan State census; Morgridge 1981: 20). Table 1. Boyne City Population Data 1879 1881 1900 1904 1910 50 300 912 2453 5218 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 4284 2650 3000 3028 2797 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2969 3348 3478 3503 3735 These data reveal the steady growth during the late nineteenth century followed by an extreme burst between 1900 and 1910. Population doubled within three years during the early part of the decade, had increased by another 50% by mid-decade, and by an additional 50% by the end of the decade. Some accounts placed the maximum population reached by the city at nearly 6,000 (BACC 2006: 28). Boyne City boosters claimed their town to be fastest growing city in the country. The Michigan State Gazetteer charts the growth and decline of the city as the number of entries for business and professional and services climbed from 37 in 1881, to 94 in 1901, 103 in 1903, and more than doubling in four years to 213 in 1907, before peaking at 225 in 1910, declining to 195 in 1911 and 124 in 1919, but rising to 146 in 1925, before declining to 98 entries in the 1931 edition (Polk 1881, 1901, 1903, 1907, 1910, 1911, 1919, 1925, 1931). This rapid boom was followed by equally rapid retrenchment between 1910-1920, a decade-long period that probably understates the timing and rate of contraction, both industrially and in population. While the nearly 50% reduction in population is dramatic, the collapse is enhanced by the fact it was concentrated in the last five years of the decade as the city’s mills and related industries suffered production decreases. Further decline occurred as every single major extractive employer in the city closed, except the Boyne City Tanning Co., which was not based solely on the logging industry and had always relied on extra-regional contacts as sources and consumers. When the mills and related factories had all closed by the mid-1920s, the tannery became the city’s last and largest major employer, a position it held until it ceased production in the late 1960s.





Community Development Revealed in Historic District Buildings The historic district is a microcosm of the state and regional economic factors that defined northern Michigan’s economy and way of life from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The physical development of the business district was inextricably linked to the city’s reliance on an extractive industry boom-and-bust economic cycle. The vast northern forests offered opportunity for entrepreneurs and were exploited by capitalists and industrialists. They also provided jobs and income for thousands of workers, fostering an extractive based economy that grew so long as the unending pine and then increasingly, the hardwood, forests held out. Review of Sanborn maps for the city produced in 1901, 1905, 1911, 1919 and 1929 provide insights into this growth. On the most general level, it may be worth noting that the city was changing and growing rapidly enough that it was felt necessary to update the base maps three times between 1901 and 1911, after which a time frame of 8 and 10 years was felt adequate to revise the record. Review of these maps reveals that by 1901 the core of the business district was along Lake Street south from the Boyne River, but was shifting to and expanding along East Water Street. In fact, coverage of eastern lots of what became the central business district did not extend past approximately the middle of the 200 block of East Water Street until after the 1905 edition. The 1911 edition expanded coverage to East Street because much of the new construction was occurring in the 200 and 300 blocks of East Water Street. The transformation of the historic district is evident in the Sanborn map data. The number of commercial buildings increases rapidly up through 1919, advancing by about 25% between 1901 and 1905, another 10-15% by 1911, and an additional 5-10% by 1919. The expansion of commercial blocks occurred at the expense of residential. The number of dwellings decline steadily through the series of maps, revealing how the commercial blocks spread east and south at the expense of formerly residential neighborhoods. In the historic district frame dwellings were either converted to or replaced by commercial use – they comprised over 40% of buildings on the 1901 Sanborn and decline to under 15% by 1919 and to about 10% in 1929, when the numbers of both dwellings and business structures decline in the post-boom environment. The Sanborn maps reveal that the number of commercial buildings actually decline by almost 25% between 1919 and 1929. Not only the numbers but also the character of the buildings within the historic district changed as it evolved. The 1901 Sanborn reveals that over 90% of businesses are housed in frame buildings, with only three brick buildings on Lake Street. By 1905 brick business blocks comprise about a fifth of the structures. By 1911 the number of brick buildings increased by 70% and comprised almost all the commercial buildings constructed since the previous edition, rising to over 45% of the total business district building stock. The number of frame business buildings declined by nearly 30%, most likely displaced by brick blocks. By 1919 brick had been used to construct over one-half of commercial buildings. Thus, while the rate of construction of brick business buildings slowed between 1911 and 1919, the numbers still register an increase, while the number of frame structures remained stagnant. The 1929 Sanborn reveals that the contribution of brick buildings to the business district approached 60%, but this was partially attributable to the fact the total number of commercial buildings had declined over 20% in ten years; some of the remaining frame commercial buildings along Lake Street were noted as vacant and “old.” The building stock in the historic district today reflects the history of the city in the distribution of construction dates as revealed by Sanborn maps, city directories, and other sources. (Totals do not equal buildings within the historic district because some addresses combine formerly separate units built during different periods.) The





oldest buildings in the historic district dating to the pre-boom period prior to 1900 number 4, or 5% of the assemblage. Buildings in the historic district dating to the city’s boom period ca. 1901-1911, number 42 structures, or over one-half (52%) surviving today. The waning of the boom that began in the years 1912-1919 witnessed the construction of only 4 buildings or 5%, a trend that accelerated as the economy reached a nadir between 1920-1929, when 2 buildings or 2% of the present building stock were built. The trend towards stability is realized in the following decades as aging buildings were replaced and new ones constructed to perform in the diversifying economy. For 1930-1940, 8 buildings forming 10% of the assemblage were constructed, and between 1940 and 1960 an additional 10 buildings were constructed in the historic district, for 12% of the total. Buildings that post-date these decades total some 11 buildings, equating to 14% of the historic district (and do not meet the age criterion for listing in the National Register). Brick commercial buildings constructed during the boom period give downtown Boyne City its character today. COMMERCE The buildings along Water and Lake Streets, and to a lesser extent Main Street and adjacent blocks, have always anchored the business district of Boyne City. Discussed below in greater detail, the historic district buildings housed the entire array of commercial and civic enterprises of this growing city in northern Michigan in the early twentieth century. The variety of commerce represented by businesses include retail stores that represent the majority of business blocks composed of general stores, hardware stores, drug stores, and specialty shops, restaurants, banks and hotels, services and professions such as barbers, and eventually, automobile dealerships and service garages as well as service stations. In the second story above many of these storefronts were housed offices and suites for professionals such as physicians, attorneys and dentists. The city’s social and recreation and entertainment needs were met by buildings in the historic district, which housed fraternal lodges, numerous saloons and pool halls, in early years an opera house, and later, two movie theaters and a “ballroom.” These businesses represent an important community continuity that established and still maintain a true sense of place for the city. While some buildings and businesses were owned by the same family for generations, other storefronts were occupied by a series of commercial enterprises offering the same or similar products or services, but under different names as the owner or tenant changed. One of the first buildings in Boyne City and its first stand-alone storefront was A.J. Beardsley’s Dry Goods Store, constructed in 1876 and replaced by a brick block in 1885 in the vicinity of 27 South Lake Street. His business while in the Pine Lake House had been sufficient to encourage expansion, and other retailers entered the market within a few years. Through the years storefronts in the business district provided the gamut of products, often combining multiple service areas under one roof. More commonly the store space was occupied by a series of businesses serving different market sectors. The most common establishments were general stores, dry goods stores and grocers. Many remained in business for decades either under a single family or a series of owners. The following list provides a “walk down the street” of the commercial corridors comprising the historic business district. East Water Street:

• 105 is identified as a dry goods store as early as 1901, a dry goods and clothing store in 1911, a clothing, boots and a shoe store in 1919. This building was the location of Nurko’s Store during the early decades of the twentieth century, and was occupied by Hannaford Gray’s market from 1932 until he closed it upon retirement in 1978.





• 109 by 1919 is occupied by a grocer, Frank McNamee (who had moved from 213 South Lake Street, also within the historic district).

• 112 is occupied in 1907 by S. Dosie’s Store, which sold clothing, shoes, and furnishings.

• 113 by 1919 is occupied by a boot and shoe store owned by Frank McNamee, who continued in business

at least until 1940 as Frank McNamee’s Clothing Store.

• 114 by 1934 housed the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. store, identified as the A&P Food Store in 1940 - apparently the first chain grocery, and perhaps retail chain store, in town.

• 116 by 1901 was occupied by a furniture store, but was replaced by a new building housing a dry goods

store in 1905.

• 118-120: by 1907 its west half (118) was occupied by a barber & billiards, while a “bazaar” known as Bergy Brothers store was housed in 120. By 1919 a clothing store, perhaps Bergy Brothers, replaced the barber & billiards. Bergy Brothers, a Boyne City retail institution, flourished into the mid-1920s, and then 120 was occupied by what would become another institution that remained in business for three decades, Samuel B. Neymark Clothing. 118 housed Young & Chaffee Furniture by 1934.

• 119 was built in 1907 and occupied by Ingersoll’s Meat Market by 1909, and was later occupied by Lewis

Tooley Meats in 1934 and Tooley’s Market in 1940.

• 123 was built and occupied by the Frank Kaden General Store in 1903, continuing as such until 1941 when his daughter acquired the business. She converted it to a men’s and women’s clothing and shoe store in the late 1940s, before finally selling it in 1972.

South Lake Street:

• 106 was constructed between 1901 and 1905 and housed a grocery.

• 112 was constructed between 1905 and 1911, and was occupied by a ladies’ clothing store in 1911.

• 116 was constructed between 1905 and 1911, when it housed a clothing store.

• 206 was occupied by a barber in 1911, a tobacco shop in 1919, and by George Turcott Furniture in 1934.

• 215 dates to ca. 1903, when it was built to house Clarence C. Schaub’s Meat Market, which later operated as the Sanitary Market through mid-century and remained in the family until 1961. Clarence and his brother J.C. originally had set up shop in 1894 at Lake and Main Streets for a few years.

• 213 was constructed between 1901 and 1905 and was occupied by a grocery owned by Joseph McNamee,

who later moved to 109-113 East Water Street, also in the historic district.

• 217 housed Gambles department store in 1958, one of the first non-food retail chains to set up shop in Boyne City during the 1930s.





East Main Street:

• 104-106 was built between 1905 and 1911 and was occupied by groceries through 1919. By 1934 the Boyne City Bakery and Smith & Smith Dry Goods occupied 104 East Main, and Smith & Smith Grocers; 106 East Main, while in 1940 Smith & Smith grocers were in 104, and Arne’s Men’s Shop in 106.

• 110-112 was constructed between 1901 and 1905. The 1905 Sanborn illustrates it as occupied by a

millinery shop in its west storefront (110) and a grocery in its east storefront (112). Miss Kemp continued to occupy 110 through at least 1919.

Several drug stores and hardware stores conducted business in the historic district. The best known are discussed here.

• 121 East Water Street housed a drug and jewelry store since 1903. It was first Hyslop’s Drug Store, became the Central Drug Store in 1915, became Gerrie’s Drug & Jewelry Store in 1940, and remained in the Gerry family for over half a century.

• 102 East Water housed the J.L. Handy Drug Store prior to 1901, and in 1915 became Charles Moore’s

Hardware Store, continuing in business for over six decades at this location.

• 102 East Main was occupied by a hardware store during the early 1900s.

• 220 South Lake was constructed between 1905 and 1911 for the Boyne City Hardware Co., which continued in business into the mid-twentieth century.

Restaurants and food-related businesses such as bakeries were always focal points of business district life. Of course, saloons and taverns also offered food, and some shifted back-and-forth in culinary emphasis as times dictated – such as Prohibition. These establishments increasingly marketed to the tourist trade, especially after the city’s industrial collapse. A sampling of these businesses follows. On East Water Street:

• 112 housed the Vaughn & Greenman Restaurant through the end of Prohibition, but by 1940 it had become the Azra I. Smith Restaurant and the Fanitorium Tavern. By the early 1950s it was occupied by the Sunnyside Restaurant, and it continued to host a restaurant well into the 1970s.

• 116 in 1940 was occupied by the Boyne City Bakery. • 117 was occupied by the E.J. McDonald Restaurant prior to 1934, and after Prohibition ended, by

McDonald’s Tavern.

• 118-120 was home to Talboys’ Restaurant & Soda Bar in 1940.

• 211 functioned as Ed Thurston’s Boarding House around 1900, by 1911 as a restaurant, and in 1919 it housed a bakery.





• 229 was occupied by the Joseph J. Turner Restaurant in 1940.

• 300 after 1912 was the location of Boyne City’s finest restaurant, associated with the Wolverine Hotel, which remained in business for nearly a century.

On Lake Street:

• 28 during World War II was renovated into a restaurant operated by Sylvester (Shorty) and Alice Jacobs. • 102-104 was occupied by Boyne City Bakery in 1934, and by Bill & Bea’s Gasoline Service Station and

Restaurant, whose ads appealed directly to the tourist trade after 1935.

• 118 housed a restaurant in 1919.

The automobile sales and service-related structures comprise another important commercial category represented by historic district buildings:

• 224 East Water Street has housed a Ford dealership since it was constructed in 1919.

• 210 South Lake Street was constructed the same year to house a garage and Buick dealership, and continued to serve as a garage for nearly three-quarters of a century.

• 231 East Water Street was occupied by a gasoline service station, later including auto sales, for well over

a half century.

• 201 South Lake Street has been occupied by a gasoline station for nearly three-quarters of a century. Downtown Functional Stability and Ownership Durability Despite the economic turmoil the city experienced through the decades, many of the downtown buildings and businesses were owned by the same family for generations and other storefronts were occupied by a series of commercial enterprises offering the same or similar products or services, but under different names as the owner or tenant changed. Some notable examples of this commercial stability include: 224 East Water Street has housed a Ford dealership since its opening in 1919 and has been owned by the Mathers family since 1972. 216 South Lake Street opened as the Bellamy Opera House in 1903, was converted to motion pictures shortly thereafter, and continued to show movies as the Boyne Theater into the 1990s, and as a public entertainment location until recent years. The Wolverine Hotel opened its doors at 300 East Water Street in 1912, changed its name to the Dilworth Hotel in 1935, and served as the city’s primary guest accommodations into the late 20th century, most recently operating as a bed and breakfast. The US Post Office at 301 East Water Street was dedicated in 1932 and has continued to serve the community through today.





201 South Lake Street has been the site of a service station for over 75 years and was run by the same family for about half a century. 215 South Lake Street was built to house the Schaub Meat Market in 1904 and remained in the family until 1961. 121 East Water Street has been the location of a drug store since it opened in 1903 as Hyslop’s Drug Store, becoming the Central Drug Store in 1915 after Kennard Gerrie bought out his partners. It was renamed Gerrie’s Drug and Jewelry Store in 1940 and remained in the Gerrie family until 1967. 123-125 East Water Street opened as Frank Kaden’s general store about 1903. It remained in the family, converted into a clothing store during the 1940s, until it was sold in 1972. 214 East Water Street was constructed in 1906 and housed Boyne River Odd Fellows Chapter No. 367 for over three-quarters of a century. 113 South Park Street was acquired by the Boyne City Co-operative Co. in 1938, continuing in ownership and business nearly 75 years later as the Boyne Co-op True Value Hardware. Although comprised of fewer than a dozen homes, the Boyne City Central Historic District residential neighborhood reveals its own contribution to community stability. No. 417 Boyne Street was built by W.H. White near the turn of the twentieth century, and he lived there until near his death in 1934. After that, his wife, Mary Louise continued to reside there, at least through 1940. No. 411 Pearl was acquired by Dr. Albert Litzenberger soon after he moved to Boyne City in 1938, and the home remained in the Litzenberger family at least until 2001. No. 423 Pearl was acquired by Pierre and Andrea Brunet during the 1940s and remained in the family for nearly half a century. No. 429 Pearl was built in 1905 for W.L. Martin, who resided in the house for over three decades. No. 435 Pearl was owned by Ernest and Ivy Robinson possibly as early as 1913, and their tenure continued as late as 1983. POLITICS/GOVERNMENT Boyne City as County Seat At least part of Boyne City’s growth during the late nineteenth century can be attributed to its relatively brief status as the Charlevoix County seat. Established as a progressive and rapidly growing community that had attained village status in 1885, Boyne City aspired to be the county seat, held by the City of Charlevoix since the establishment of the county in 1869. Boyne City argued that its accessibility by both railroad and ship, its central location, and its population growth and development justified the move. Lobbying had begun as early as 1880, but did not finally succeed until 1886, when a countywide vote approved the move to Boyne City. The process to achieve this result was not pretty. Moving the seat of government first required a positive vote from 11 of the county’s 16 township supervisors to place the issue before the voters. In a strategic maneuver in 1884 Boyne City managed to convince precisely that number of supervisors to back a county seat move to East Jordan, which was approved by voters in the spring of 1885. Then, in October of that same year, Boyne City secured the 2/3 vote of the Board of Supervisors necessary to back transferring the county seat to Boyne City, which was confirmed in the spring of 1886 by a vote of county residents, albeit in spite of claims of fraud from other towns, especially Charlevoix (Bowen 1905: 490-493).





Although a majority of the county Board of Supervisors confirmed the election and voted to move the county seat, the results were challenged in court. After the courts rejected the challenge, however, only the County Clerk and County Sheriff moved their offices to Boyne City, while the Register of Deeds and Treasurer, who backed East Jordan, refused to move to Boyne, and instead met at Bay Springs, only a mile from Boyne City. Attempts to secret the records out of Charlevoix were not successful. There was a stalemate even when the state required that the county equalize its tax rolls for 1886 --- the split in the county board resulted in some officials meeting in East Jordan and others in Boyne City. After threats from the state, later that year supervisors agreed by one vote to move the seat to Boyne City. A new county courthouse was built at the northeast corner of Lake and North Streets (north of the historic district). It burned in 1887, after which a new courthouse was built at the corner of Park and Main Streets, just south of the historic district. Boyne City served as the county seat only a little more than a decade. During this time there was constant maneuvering by Charlevoix and allied townships to regain the seat. In 1897 Bear Lake, Spring Vale and Resort townships, which wished to be more closely associated with the nearby prosperous and growing city of Petoskey, requested to be set off to Emmet County. This was approved by the state legislature in association with the dissolution of Manitou County that resulted in the attachment of Beaver Island to Charlevoix County. This, in turn, resulted in the political realignment of the county’s population and supervisors, culminating in the vote to restore the county seat to Charlevoix later that same year (Powers 1912: 278-279). After the county seat was removed, the former county courthouse was used by Boyne City schools until 1916 when it was sold to the city. The frame building was them moved to the corner of Ray and Park Streets, in the historic district, and an associated clock tower served as a landmark to city residents for decades. The building was demolished in 1957. (Its site, at 113 South Park Street, is now partially occupied by the Boyne City Co-op.) Unfortunately, no structures associated with this brief political heyday survive within the historic district. Federal Government The presence of the U.S. government in Boyne City has always been associated with the post office. Postmasters were designated as early as the first permanent settler, John Miller, in 1869, who maintained the post office in his home. In later years, the post office was always located downtown in the historic district. During the late nineteenth century the post office was located in a building at the northwest corner of Water Street and Lake Street. It moved to the newly constructed Odd Fellows Building at 214 East Water in 1906. The U.S. Government had allocated $10,000 and spent $8,000 in August of 1911 to acquire a post office site in Boyne City, but there was “no provision for building” and no further action was completed for nearly two decades (U.S. Post Office 1913: 84, 244). Finally, during the Great Depression, federal monies flowed into Boyne City and constructed the building still used as the post office today, at the northeast corner of East Water Street and East Street. It was built in 1932 at a cost of $65,000 – which some locals felt was extravagant. Known as the Federal Building during this period, it contained not only the post office, but also served as the local base for other federal agencies such as Field Office for the Bureau of Census, the Farm Home Loan Service, and also housed the Extension Service (Erber 1952: 28). It survives as an anchor of the east end of the business district, and the historic district, today. SOCIAL HISTORY/ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION Hotels From its earliest days Boyne City has offered accommodations for travelers, whose purpose for visiting in the





earliest days would mostly relate to commerce, but which through the decades increasingly had a non-business focus. Among the first commercial enterprises in the settlement was the Pine Lake House, dating to 1874, at the north edge of the historic district. Other hotels followed within the next several years, including the United States Hotel built in 1878 at the corner of Water and Park Streets, the Union Hotel and the Lewis House on Water Street, and the Eagle House on Lake Street at Ray, enticing passengers arriving on the Boyne City Railroad after it began service in 1893. Other hotels such as the Boyne, which was replaced by the New Boyne Hotel in 1910 after it burned, sprung up on Water Street. The culmination of this hotel market, and the only such building still standing in the historic district, is the Wolverine Hotel, constructed in 1912 at the east end of the business district at 301 East Water Street. Its construction was the direct result of the vision of city fathers who had determined that Boyne City must be able to offer first-class accommodations for visitors to the city. The city’s commercial elite formed the Boyne City Hotel Co. whose 46 shareholders and directors read like a who’s who of Boyne City’s prominent citizens, headed by W.H. White as president and majority shareholder. These hotels were anchors in Boyne City’s downtown district, hosting salesmen, business people and other travelers arriving by coach, steamer and railroad, and later by automobile. They served as a base for these enterprising visitors beyond offering decent lodgings. The hotel restaurants became social hubs in the community where travelers and local residents could intermingle. As the economy evolved through time away from industry, the market served was increasingly recreational. This was particularly true of the Wolverine, which hosted numerous social events and meetings, most singularly the annual Smeltania Ball held during the winter during the 1930s and 1940s. Fraternal and Lodge Halls Other buildings in the historic district served as nodes where social, service and business networks were formed and strengthened. The most dramatic example in the city is the IOOF Hall at 214 East Water Street. Easily the most imposing building in the historic district, when constructed in 1906 it immediately became the venue for community events. In addition to lodge meetings, it hosted contests such as boxing, and entertainment such as the magician, Harry Houdini. The Boyne River Odd Fellows Lodge No. 367 was organized in Boyne City by 1882 and had established itself sufficiently to build its imposing edifice nearly a quarter century later. The other surviving example of a lodge hall that would have served in a like manner, but on a smaller scale, is the Masonic Temple, which occupied the second story of 118-120 East Water Street after 1907. Boyne City Lodge No 391, F. & A. M. was granted a dispensation on September 20, 1881, and held its first meetings in the hall above A.J. Beardsley’s store at (27 S. Lake Street), moving to its hall on Water Street. It later held its meetings in a building at 201 East Water Street, which burned in 1951. Opera House and Theaters No. 216 South Lake was constructed in 1903 as the Bellamy Opera House. It was converted to show Nickelodeon features a few years later. It was extensively renovated in 1915 to offer its patrons an improved environment to view motion pictures. In 1926 its name was changed to the Boyne Theater by new owners. In 1938 it was again extensively renovated to improve the movie-going experience. It was the city’s primary entertainment venue for decades as it showed first-run movie features, and continued as the city’s only movie theater until the late twentieth century. This theater was not without some competition, however. The Princess Theater was showing motion pictures at





114 South Lake Street by 1919, but was shuttered in 1926 when its owner acquired and concentrated his efforts on the Boyne Theater. However, by 1940 114 South Lake’s contribution to the city’s social life was resurrected when it was in business as the Princess Ball Room. Both buildings still stand in the historic district. Soda Fountains Other innocent pursuits were offered by businesses in the historic district. Along East Water Street: 121, the Central Drug Store was established at 121 East Water Street as early as 1903, and installed what was locally heralded as the “first modern soda fountain in northern Michigan” in 1910. Nearby, 118 East Water Street provided competition through Talboys’ Restaurant & Soda Bar, which opened prior to 1940. Saloons and Pool Halls As might be considered obvious for a turn-of-the-century northern Michigan boomtown, the historic district had more than its share of venues where one could engage in “manly pursuits” – saloons, taverns, and pool halls. Some were combined with barber shops. When Charlevoix Co. passed the local option in 1910 prior to Prohibition in 1919, there were 13 saloons in Boyne City (Erber 1952: 25). Perusal of directories reveals that while Boyne City’s “watering holes” were identified as saloons prior to Prohibition, they were usually termed taverns after, some being converted after serving as restaurants during the dry years. A sampling of such identified establishments in the historic district includes, along East Water Street: 229, occupied as early as 1893 by a saloon; 118, by 1911 occupied by a barber & billiards; 114, occupied by a barber shop in 1919; 117, occupied by the E.J. McDonald Restaurant in 1934, and by McDonald’s Tavern in 1940; and 112, which was the Fanitorium Tavern in 1940. Along South Lake Street establishments included: 118, occupied by Cutter’s Saloon in 1905; 112, housing a barber shop selling tobacco with a pool room in the rear by 1919, which appears to have been the Fanitorien Cigar Store, later home to George Turcott’s Billiards by 1934; 211, hosting a barber shop by 1911 and continuing to provide this service up into the mid twentieth century; and 206, occupied by a barber in 1911 and a tobacco shop in 1919. Perhaps the most intriguing entry for this category is that for 116, where E. Irish ran a tobacco store with a billiard and pool room. The local newspaper stated at the time that Mr. Irish was “a lover of all clean and wholesome sports, his place has become headquarters for base ball fans, who congregate nightly to discuss the great American game” (Boyne Citizen 1907:16). Recreation and Tourism, and the “Post-Industrial” Economy While Boyne City continued to market itself with some success to small manufacturing concerns, it has also achieved success in increasingly focusing its economy toward recreation and tourism, taking advantage of the assets that had attracted visitors to the area since the earliest settlement. The Boyne River was long known as a trout stream and Pine Lake always had admirers. As early as 1879 a man named Cobb acquired acreage just south of Boyne City to establish a summer resort (Powers 1912: 288). The Boyne River had long been a favorite fishing resort. It was navigable for several miles by small boats, and anglers came from all over the country to use local guides to catch “immense quantities” of trout in the Boyne vicinity. The same source also states, that it had become “fashionable” for northern Michigan towns to have a resort and “no well-regulated place can do without one. Boyne City is not behind in this particular.” In the early 1900s round-trip rail fares to Boyne City fell to $4.00 from Detroit, $5.00 for Grand Rapids and $6.00





for Chicago (BACC 2006: 11). As the BC,G&ARR extended eastward from Boyne City in the early 1900s, reaching Alpena in 1918, it became a favored means of transport to Boyne City during the heyday of resort life in northern Michigan. However, passenger numbers declined in tandem with the rise in popularity of the automobile. Increasingly, visitors and tourists traveled by auto to Boyne City to vacation, and businesses such as gasoline service stations, repair shops and dealerships began to change the face of the business district. In 1926 Pine Lake was renamed Lake Charlevoix. The change was initiated by the U.S. Postal Service to reduce confusion with similarly named locations, but was accepted by the community as potentially more “scenic” and a draw to visitors. Residents and entrepreneurs realized one of their best hopes for economic stabilization and growth lay in appealing to outsiders. During this period, real estate marketing and development focusing on vacation properties became common. The 1919 and 1925 Michigan State Gazetteers acknowledged this trend by noting the city’s “excellent hotels” for the “resort trade” (Polk 1919: 289, 1925: 291). It seems significant that the city’s entry in the 1925 state gazetteer for the first time alludes to this previously unheralded sector of the economy, stating, “The city has many attractions and is very popular as a summer resort” (Polk 1925: 292). Several real estate firms offered their services to market both bare lake frontage and cottages during this period, including Charles McCutcheon, who resided at 430 Pearl Street in the historic district. By the 1930s tourism was a significant focus of the city’s economy. Boosters stated that “Boyne City has everything. It has great resort possibilities that are beginning to be noticed more and more each year. A beautiful lake, splendid beaches, good roads, a wonderful climate, neat parks, a wealth of trout streams . . .” (Boyne Citizen 1938s). In 1938 under the headline, “Boyne Ready for Big Summer Trade,” the local newspaper trumpeted how the city had been “all cleaned up,” new street signs installed, old buildings razed, and Veteran’s Memorial Park, just north of the historic district along the lakeshore, had been wired for trailers, rest rooms added, wells dug, and landscaping completed (Boyne Citizen 1938i). It was during this time that the Chamber of Commerce occupied the distinctive log cabin at the corner of Lake and Water Streets, roadside architecture guaranteed to attract the attention of tourists and visitors. Well-known to fishermen during the early 1900s for its smelt runs, during the 1930s a smelt festival was established as part of the effort to refocus the city’s post-industrial economy. “Smeltania” became an annual ice shanty “city” that at time approached 300 houses built on laid-out streets just off-shore during the winter months, complete with major restaurant and taxi service. Some of the houses were rented to outside fishermen and proved a stimulus to the local economy. During its heyday the three-month-long event was featured in national publications, culminating in the spring smelt run that was featured in theaters across the country as a segment of “Fox Movietone News” and broadcast over radio stations out of Detroit (Boyne Citizen 1938o). Boyne City “received an almost constant flow of nation-wide publicity in innumerable newspapers all over the United States . . . No longer is Boyne City unknown . . . People everywhere have heard of this city” (Boyne Citizen 1938s). The Dilworth Hotel, in the historic district, was the site of the Smeltania Ball into the 1940s during the height of smelt runs. The event culminated each year with a smelt dip in the Boyne River that yielded tons of the fish, but the catches faded during the 1950s and so did this distinctive winter event (BACC 2006: 39; Yesteryears 2006: 26). The 1940 Boyne City Directory noted that the business district “has been remodeled during recent years. New fronts have been built to most of the stores; wires removed and streets widened.” Further, as “the improvement of the lakefront is progressing rapidly, and the beach converted into parks and tourist camp, Boyne City takes on new life as a haven for summer residents. The city is in the center of the resort region of the north and lake fishing country and offers every inducement to the tourists as a location” (Baker Brothers 1940: front piece). The





Boyne Citizen further reported, “through the efforts of progressive citizens with an eye towards the future possibility of the city as a resort center,” old buildings have been torn down and news ones built, new businesses have appeared and new storefronts constructed, old docks and remains of mills had been removed, smaller landings for boats and yachts had replaced huge wharves, quiet parks and beaches replaced roaring machinery, and summer homes and cottages (some converted homes and some newly built) lined the lakeshore north and south from town – “In the past year Boyne City has enjoyed a building boom in which more has been done to improve the city than at any time since the lumber days” (Boyne Citizen 1938g). The recreation market was broadened and improved by establishment of winter recreation in the Boyne vicinity, beginning with a ski resort at Boyne Mountain. Boyne Mountain was purchased in 1947 for a nominal sum from retired State Senator William Pierson assisted by the Boyne City Chamber of Commerce. The objective was to further develop the area’s recreational economy by intensifying tourist use during the winter months. Located about a half dozen miles south of the city, the Boyne Mountain ski resort was formally dedicated on January 8, 1949 and claimed to have the Midwest’s first chairlift – previously only rope tows were used in Michigan. In 1952 it added the first outdoor heated swimming pool at a Midwest ski location, and in 1957 installed the first snow-making equipment (BCRC 1965: 33). A second downhill ski hill, Barn Mountain, was actually opened within the city limits in the early 1950s; it operated until 1977 when it was closed and converted into a 320-acre nature preserve, Avalanche Preserve, allowing panoramic views, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and snowboarding – appealing to another segment of the tourism market (BASC 1956-2006 2006: 16). Efforts at increasing tourism even extended to revitalizing the old Boyne City, Gaylord and Alpena Railroad. After passenger train service ended in 1962, the railroad had continued freight operations, but went out of business in 1976. It was sold to Boyne Valley, which ran the ski resort, and the line was revived as a passenger excursion railroad, complete with a railroad museum housed in the old railroad shops located near the lakeshore south of Water Street, just west of the historic district. Ridership never generated a profit and the venture ended in 1978, all the railroad assets were sold off, with the line formally abandoned in 1982. Significant new buildings in the business district after 1920 are most commonly automobile and tourism service related. Changes in the streetscape resulted from the construction of several gasoline service stations along the major transit routes starting in the 1920s. These included John Olsen’s “station by the lake,” built 1929 at 101 East Water, and others surviving today in much altered form at 231 East Water Street (Herb’s Super Service, a service station opened by 1929 and enlarged in 1936 to more efficiently service and sell vehicles, eventually becoming a Chrysler Automobile dealership), 102-104 South Lake (Bill & Bea’s Gasoline Service Station and Restaurant, built in 1938, whose advertizing appealed directly to tourists), and 201 South Lake Street (Kenny’s Friendly Service, also built in 1938, later becoming “Howard’s Friendly Service”). ARCHITECTURE Boyne City Central District Architecture Style and Detail Both individually and collectively the architecture of the Boyne City business district is important as representing forms and styles prevalent across northern Michigan at the turn of the twentieth century. The streetscape distills the essence of this influence because many were constructed within a ten-year boom period. Although many have been renovated to extend their commercial viability, most retain essential defining characteristics. Most of the downtown buildings display minimal architectural ornamentation. Most were constructed with restraint in mind, probably reflecting economic considerations as much as stylistic norms. Many have been





renovated and in some cases the surviving ornamentation is confined to the second story, or reduced to the cornice. Generally, these components do not consciously display affinity to any particular style, although there are vague references to the Classical and Colonial Revival. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries construction in Boyne City’s business district was dominated by one-part and two-part commercial blocks. Examples express the transition from Late Victorian to the simplified functional architecture that came to dominate the twentieth century commercial structures. Frame examples often predate those constructed of brick. Architectural embellishment varies, but most from the period defining Boyne City were restrained with primary elaboration confined to the cornice area. This restrained expression is realized through less elaborate and classically-inspired cornices and simplified square-head rather than arched and hooded windows. Representatives of these types are by far the most common encountered in the historic district. A surviving example of an early frame one-part commercial block illustrating this evolution is Leavenworth’s Studio, built in 1904 at 306 South Lake Street, originally constructed with pressed metal siding. The earliest example of the frame two-part commercial block, dating prior to 1900 and possibly as early as 1880, survives at 211 East Water Street, and another early and altered example is the Nurko Building at 105 East Water Street. The earliest identified examples of the brick one-part commercial block occur at 114 and 116 East Main Street, dating to ca. 1905-1911, while the earliest surviving examples of the two-part commercial block that retain some degree of architectural integrity include 108-110 East Main (as early as 1902), 213 South Lake (as early as 1901), 215 South Lake (as early as 1903) 121 East Water Street (as early as 1903), and 116 South Lake (pre-1907). The brick business blocks at 109, 112, 113, 116, 118-120, 119, 121, 123-125, 229 East Water Street, 220 South Lake Street, and 104, 110, 114 and 116 East Main Street are fine examples of the transitional Late Victorian commercial architecture that was evolving into functional and simplified trends prevalent through the early decades of the twentieth century. In basic elements such as window voids, segmental arch or round arch windows are nearly absent, replaced almost entirely by simple square-head window opening. While modified to varying degrees, the diagnostic elements survive in the generally unadorned window lintels and sills and straight-forward functionalism of the street level storefronts. Most commonly, ornamentation is expressed primarily through corbelled brick patterns beneath the cornice, often complemented by brick piers enhancing the façade. A number of these examples include relatively simple metal cornices, often with bracket treatments. As such they are transitional between the Victorian of preceding decades and the Commercial Brick commercial blocks of the next decades. In Commercial Brick, ornamentation is largely confined to the execution of brickwork, especially in the use of corbelling. The final major business district building type is the enframed window wall. These buildings post-date the one- and two-part commercial blocks, and in Boyne city were constructed during the post-World War I period up through the 1960s. Good examples of this type are the automobile-related buildings whose facades were determined by requirements of large display windows and access voids. While 224 East Water Street has been altered, the façade of this automobile sales and service building still displays the basic concept and its distinctive bowed roof is visible from the rear. The façade of a second garage and dealership, at 210 South Lake Street, has also been altered, but the original intent is still discernible. Both of these buildings were constructed 1918-1919. Perhaps the most direct expression and culmination of the trend away from Victorian ornamentation is realized in the Wolverine Hotel, at 300 East Water, which lacks the “busy” embellishment typical of the preceding Victorian





era. Dating to the 1910s, it is markedly divergent from the preceding architecture. Its understated character is a product of its overall symmetry and primary elements such as its plain porch columns with muted classical references, and especially it simplified cornice without brackets. The cornice is the architectural element that expresses much of the building’s character and aesthetically should be a crucial component of any effort to restore and rehabilitate the building. In sum, this building appears to combine a primarily Colonial Revival expression with muted Arts & Crafts style influences. Dating to the 1930s, the U.S. Post Office carries this trend progressively further away from the Victorian. It displays colonial/classicism references similar to the Wolverine Hotel. It explicitly employs restrained and simplified classical elements, combining them to a greater degree and much more authentically than is typical of post offices from this period. The building at 214 East Water Street, the IOOF Temple, is a fine example of Neoclassical inspired design, indicated primarily through the symmetry, use of broad arches and wall treatment. The arches are emphasized by corbelling and the use of masonry columns or piers, while the ornamental ironwork at the second story balconet further distinguishes this building. This building is one of the most monumental in the district, and although Neoclassical architecturally, was very progressive as an early and large-scale example of poured concrete construction. Unusual for a community the size of Boyne City, it was a material expression of how far the city had developed to support this level of construction, and also symbolized optimism that the edifice would be fully used in the future. The Boyne Theater at 216 South Lake Street has been a Boyne City landmark for over a century. The building retains original features including the opera house shell of brick walls and gabled roof and frame fly loft, and interior features such as the expansive balcony suspended from the ceiling by tie rods. The theater also represents another era as a movie house, with many details illustrating Moderne influences of the interwar period. The structural glass that once graced the façade has been removed, but the curvilinear wall surface behind remains in place. The marquee, dating to the 1950s, in form and composition is a later expression of Modernism. On the interior, the Moderne is clearly demonstrated in the balcony breastwork. While elements of the original opera house are present, the series of renovations through the 1930s provide the building its present character and should serve as a basis for authentic restoration and rehabilitation. Another example of Modernism, which dates to the mid-twentieth century, occurs at 121 East Water, where renovations, perhaps as late as ca. 1961, employed random ashlar thin stone veneer. The residential buildings eastward from the 300 block of East Water exemplify late nineteenth and early twentieth century styles in domestic architecture. Most are most accurately classified as vernacular and eclectic in that they reveal elements inspired by a number of architectural styles, most predominantly the Queen Anne. The outstanding examples include 401 E. Water, which combines the asymmetry and steeply pitched roof and corner tower common to the 1880s with more restrained Eastlake decorative elements, 417 Boyne with the common gabled ell form that is a Victorian base upon which a stuccoed wall treatment, broad, rounded front porch and stickwork gable elements reveal an Art-and-Crafts inspired overlay, and finally, 411 Pearl, which in its glazed tile construction and blocky form appears to allude to Modernism, but in individual elements references Classical and Colonial Revival. Considering architectural elements, within the district there are a number of fine examples of stamped metal cornices in varying degrees of elaboration. Most are concentrated along the 100 block of East Water Street. At 112 East Water the bracketed cornice contains rosette and floral motifs. Perhaps the best examples in the historic district occur at 119 and 121 East Water, displaying an exuberant composition of scrolled brackets, floral rosettes





and medallions. The building at 123-125 East Water is notable for the classically-inspired wreath devices set within its cornice panels. The best surviving example on South Lake Street occurs at 215 South Lake. While the rest of the building has been insensitively renovated and much of the cornice is plain, it is distinguished by its dramatic end brackets, embellished with rosettes and culminating in wonderful finials. A fine example of stamped metal cornices is also found at the southern limits of the historic district, at 110 East Main Street, where brackets displaying floral motifs are separated by panels punctuated by wreath devices. It is likely that at least one of these metal cornices (Dosie’s Clothing Store at 112 East Water Street) may be attributable to George L. Mesker & Co., a leading producer of sheet metal storefronts between 1885 and the 1920s. It is also probable that Mesker & Co. fabricated the cornice of 110-112 East Main Street. Customers could order individual or “a la carte” elements (cornices, window hoods, lintels as well as cast iron columns) or in combination as entire storefront packages. The product could be ordered through catalogs, produced to fit the specifications of the customer, and shipped directly to the building owner or contractor. Detailed step-by-step instructions were also provided for storefronts that could be applied at an approximate cost of less than one-quarter of similar masonry facades. However, local manufacturers of such products also proliferated. The 1907 Michigan State Gazetteer first reported the presence of one possible firm in Boyne City, the “N.W. Burdick shop for the manufacture of store fronts,” although the entry for Noble W. Burdick reveals he was a contractor and builder of “brick and frame buildings” who also manufactured frames, porch columns and turned work - apparently not metal components (Polk 1907: 477). Whoever manufactured these distinctive architectural metal components, across the state most of have been lost through renovation or deterioration, and Boyne City is fortunate to have some fine surviving examples. Summary Some 55 buildings of the 75 buildings and Sunset Park site within the historic district, nearly three-quarters, are evaluated as contributing properties. Buildings that meet the 50-year threshold and have been renovated to incorporate Victorian Revival details are assessed as Contributing to the historic district if they are associated with occupations displaying great time depth and illustrate the district’s historic contexts, so long as their present character does not detract from the overall streetscape. The contributing structures within the Boyne City Central Historic District overwhelming date to the boomtown period between 1900 and 1910. Well over one-half were constructed in this single decade (with about 5% of the buildings representing the slow growth of the pre-boom years), while a mere 7% illustrate two decades of post-boom stagnation leading into the Great Depression. About one-fifth of the historic district’s buildings were constructed during the remaining decades up through 1960. The current assemblage of buildings in essence represents well the appearance and feeling of the heart of Boyne City during its economic heyday, a brief decade-long window at the turn of the twentieth century. A total of 20 buildings are evaluated as Non-Contributing properties, forming over one-quarter of the historic district. These structures are equally divided between those constructed after 1962 and thus failing to meet the National Register 50-year age criterion, and others that are the product of renovations that are severely insensitive to the building’s historic fabric as well as the city’s historic streetscapes.

charlevoix, michigan national register of historic places ......business directory - with only three...

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